As a novice to POE, I am stoked that I found this build myself and could not seem to find anything like it on youtube or the sites. Specifically Merc using Bow/Crossbow for lightning damage. using the Bow's Lighting Rods. Now that I run across this from days ago and find that the general idea is all there and the Passives are almost a duplicate, I am kinda proud of myself. LOL I am only into Act III normal with it so far, but it clears far quicker and easier than my Ranger Lightning Bow build did. Especially the last zones in Act 1, and just about every boss I find. I also have been using the Electroshock Bow build into the Electric Grenades because they can nearly insta paralyze together. I have not tried anything higher yet because I didnt know if Stormblast was worth it due to it being a detonation skill, so would have to find something to detentate with and I didnt see a Electric option so was kinda meh on it so far. But it JUST became available.
Saw this and was excited to try it. I was clearing ACT III reasonably quickly with my own build. Spent a ton of resources to respec into the build on mobalytic with pretty good gear and a nice lighting + ele damage crossbow. This build does less damage to bosses than anything I have tried or seen at this point. The statement that it clears into endgame is insane. Yea it clears basic mobs...but this basically bricked my mercenary.
Yikes! That's not good. :/ Are all your Skill Gems leveled up to current when you swapped builds? Crossbow/Bow are up-to-date? Crossbow has Elemental DMG on it? Using Lightning Rods before Galvanic? I ran this build through to Cruel with ease, and there are level 70+ Merc's using Galvanic Shards as primary DPS for Mapping. Hopefully there's just a missing piece in how yours is set up currently.
@@DrybearGamers I upgraded both weapons and that seems to have been my main issue. However, I added Primal armament in place of ammo conservation to galv. Also added lightening pen skill to the rod. I am killing bosses again. Build does seem to work as intended at least through Act III.
Great! Been chugging away at the Railgun build and enjoying it, but this definitely looks like a ton of fun. I love the idea of a multi-elemental build for endgame (if I ever get there since I love making alts.)
Thanks for the handy dandy sheets so I can screen shot it. I was really struggling with mercenary thinking it must suck because I hadn’t got a good skill.
First time I’ve ever actually made a build before seeing a video about it. This builds DPS falls off in Act III survivability is decent still. Moving on to storm bolts
Not sure it's the right thought process. You're better off choosing a nerfed build that is still viable rather than a build that might become the next one to be nerfed! I'm sticking to grenadier for the time being because it was nerfed and it is still viable. Lightning based builds are next on GGG's target list.
Choose your class based on what Ascendancy appeals to you. Nothing else matters all of it is flexible. Every class can use every weapon and every skill.
@@Nightcodex I bought the randomized crossbow at a vendor, basically I don't use up a shot so instead of say having ignition round fire one shot before reloading, I shoot between 3-5 extra shots
I'm still wondering if it's more beneficial to go armor and evasion or just armor (with the skill tree node that turns all ur evasion into armor) any ideals on if it's worth looking at or just keep dual splitting?
@@Aether_GMiirc xbow and grenade skill stack off weapon damage and since xbow is à two handed weapon yeah it boost its damage . Unless proven otherwise
nades scale the fastest and go into endgame the best -- galvanic is strong, falls off into mid act 2 but theres a newer endgame build around it reqs. a whole respec but super strong, and railgun does a lot of dmg is a boss slayer for sure but struggles a bit to clear the trash early.
@@douglaspaz3712 you shouldn't, unless you're using lightning rod. Shards themselves do miniscule damage. It's the arching lightning that damages. But you'd need more targets for this.
I went with explosive shot for mass shock spread and shockburst for finishing off bosses/rare. Really depends on good amount of added flat lightning damage and good crossbow with high +eledmg% 30k dps on shockburst pulse seems nice
100% damage builds will always fail end game, just like they did in PoE1. Kripparian already said that anything less than 5000hp, high armor and high resistances will just get stomped on as you push the maps higher, so you better include some defensive nodes in the build and start stacking strength.
Yeah but something like this will get you through the 40 hour campaign in 10 hours and then give you 30 hours of grinding to get your 5000 hp and high armor lol
Can someone make a video on how to find more uncut support gems? I can’t find any video on it at all. Struggling to find support gems to enhance my skills gems. I’m lvl 23 merc.
Interesting, I seem to be getting a least 2-3 during a run but rarely come across orb currencies. They’ve dropped more since the patch but still quite low chance.
What helps me out is farming bosses specifically. I have 20% loot rarity on my gear but by far the best way to boost the chances is to run in a party since it seems like the party gets more experience and more drops with each person joining
Yeah kinda have the same build but for me with the latest update my galvanic shard is bugged, i shot, i reload and wait for that to be done before firing but nothing i have no clue kinda makes it horrible to play plus with the random pausing that happens here and there, but early access is a bitch still play still fun
youtube.com/@DrybearGamers Don't forget to add your Gavanic Mercenary video to your Mobalytics page! (I just found you tonight, and I like your style. Keep it up!)
I am currently playing kinda the build you want wo build, but in ealy game. I am in normal act 3. I use Galvanic for low HP mobs, but switch to glacial bolt + Fragmental Shot(going for poison). When the enemy can't be freezed anymore i go to High velocity with bleed for single target. I don't believe Going for lightning damage is worth it once you plan to switch to other elements. That being said, i feel incredibly week right now. Might be a bad weapon but its rough at the moment. I was hoping for cast on freeze and cast on shock to give me a necessary boost, but that got nerfed. Might do it anyway though.
@inHell-rb Nope, that build worked for me until end of act 3. Sadly there is a heavy reliance on the weapon. if it sucks, you suck. Its just that easy with that build
Did they remove shooting using the left mouse button? I had to stop playing for 3 days, and now that doesn't seem to be working. Also, how do you run backwards while shooting?
I assumed that weapon swap speed was specifically for the weapon swap key (eg. bow to crossbow) not for bolt swapping. Does weapon swap speed decrease the time it takes to swap between bolts?
In the endgame example I gave you would be running two crossbows and swapping between them, so weapon swap speed would help there. What's neat is you can have different bolts loaded into different crossbows and they will maintain whatever ammunition you loaded last even after swapping.
I hope you read this because it's important... and a bit funny. There is an episode of the anime Mashle: Magic and Muscles, where one of the students is doing a cooking class to make a soup, I think. And then Mashle does the exact same thing Except he makes a cremepuff. And then it's performed again step-by-step but Mashle again makes a creampuff. I've seen other videos of people with some guide to level this "class" in this "way" and you will be OP and have fun... Their videos don't work for me because I keep getting a cremepuff and not the OP character that they are advertising... With your video, and a few lucky drops, I actually feel the real power on a new character as I'm working my way through act 1. This is the OP, broken experience I've been wanting and it's thanks to this video. Thank You Question for stats in armor and skill tree: Am I ALWAYS investing in Dexterity... and do I want to focus more on armor, evasion, or shield?
YT premium is a game changer. Haven’t watched an ad in months. Well worth it if you watch a lot of TH-cam. I even just listen to stuff with my phone screen off.
What counts as immobilized? GGG devs are wierd. Conditions cause damage and non-damaging conditions are ailments. They don't know what stuff is called, they exist in their own microcosm.
for anyone new, this is not a very good build. it will get you through act 1, and using the bow to lvl 15 is not a bad idea at all. after act 1 though youll be in a bad spot. the problem is most of galvanic shards damage is physical and it just wont be doing any damage. the main problem is the passive skill tree he suggests. just a heads up boys.
@@CardinalCake go straight for the two handed weapon damage that looks like a cross. get a good physical damage or ele damage crossbow and by the time you get to 15 just hold down galvanic shards and they explode, and if you want drop some lightening rods for bosses.
@@DrybearGamers I did. I have two decent weapons for my level but i'm just stuck in Act2. The first encounter with Jamanra was so hard. The fight takes over 6min with limited Flask charges, there is almost no room for errors which is okay but when the fight takes sooo long its really hard. So many times I can't use Rod or reload because i have to dodge constantly and my dmg is really really low (200-600 dmg per combo). Maybe I'm doing something wrong but i don't know what because its really simple: Rods + Galvanic Shots. Thanks for the reply tho, i appreciate it.
Make sure your Skill Gems are updated, you have Elemental Damage on your Crossbow, your Bow is up to date, and you have the right Skill Tree & Support Gems
@@DrybearGamers I figure thats maybe it's because I'm playing on controller so that i can't purposely put the lightning rod at optimal spots, make the DPS drastically plump to the ground. Thanks for the advice
@@NWOslave its fine, the dps is too low because the boss keep moving around so i have to dodge basically everything the boss throw at me when the flask is all gone. 10 minutes boss fight, would not do it again
Build Sheet: i.imgur.com/snoOVNm.png
Calculator: mobalytics.gg/poe-2/profile/ab398482-f59f-4f1a-84b1-1503106f7b4b/builds/d166063f-8743-4b97-a464-e277f42c4c86
00:00 Introduction
00:08 Gameplay
02:18 Build Sheet
02:41 Calculator
03:12 Build Explanation
08:21 Talent Tree
13:43 End Game?
As a novice to POE, I am stoked that I found this build myself and could not seem to find anything like it on youtube or the sites. Specifically Merc using Bow/Crossbow for lightning damage. using the Bow's Lighting Rods. Now that I run across this from days ago and find that the general idea is all there and the Passives are almost a duplicate, I am kinda proud of myself. LOL I am only into Act III normal with it so far, but it clears far quicker and easier than my Ranger Lightning Bow build did. Especially the last zones in Act 1, and just about every boss I find. I also have been using the Electroshock Bow build into the Electric Grenades because they can nearly insta paralyze together. I have not tried anything higher yet because I didnt know if Stormblast was worth it due to it being a detonation skill, so would have to find something to detentate with and I didnt see a Electric option so was kinda meh on it so far. But it JUST became available.
👏👏
Saw this and was excited to try it. I was clearing ACT III reasonably quickly with my own build. Spent a ton of resources to respec into the build on mobalytic with pretty good gear and a nice lighting + ele damage crossbow. This build does less damage to bosses than anything I have tried or seen at this point. The statement that it clears into endgame is insane. Yea it clears basic mobs...but this basically bricked my mercenary.
Yikes! That's not good. :/ Are all your Skill Gems leveled up to current when you swapped builds? Crossbow/Bow are up-to-date? Crossbow has Elemental DMG on it? Using Lightning Rods before Galvanic?
I ran this build through to Cruel with ease, and there are level 70+ Merc's using Galvanic Shards as primary DPS for Mapping. Hopefully there's just a missing piece in how yours is set up currently.
@@DrybearGamersand for Bosses what ur using on leveling? My dmg for Bosses are lame too. Need Help
@@DrybearGamers I upgraded both weapons and that seems to have been my main issue. However, I added Primal armament in place of ammo conservation to galv. Also added lightening pen skill to the rod. I am killing bosses again. Build does seem to work as intended at least through Act III.
Shock status from galv + shock burst rounds is what I've been using on bosses
If you were already doing good why respec? Lol that's on you this dude didn't force you to do it
Great! Been chugging away at the Railgun build and enjoying it, but this definitely looks like a ton of fun. I love the idea of a multi-elemental build for endgame (if I ever get there since I love making alts.)
Herald of thunder and herald of ash have helped me a lot with dps. My build is fairly similar to this for now. Waiting for those shockburst rounds
Thanks for the handy dandy sheets so I can screen shot it. I was really struggling with mercenary thinking it must suck because I hadn’t got a good skill.
The one sheets are invaluable. Thanks so much
Drybear!!! I missed you 🎉🎉🎉!! Glad to see you again
First time I’ve ever actually made a build before seeing a video about it. This builds DPS falls off in Act III survivability is decent still. Moving on to storm bolts
Was going to choose Sorceress today for my first build...and then I saw the hard nerf to comet. Think I will choose this instead.
Not sure it's the right thought process. You're better off choosing a nerfed build that is still viable rather than a build that might become the next one to be nerfed! I'm sticking to grenadier for the time being because it was nerfed and it is still viable. Lightning based builds are next on GGG's target list.
Choose your class based on what Ascendancy appeals to you. Nothing else matters all of it is flexible. Every class can use every weapon and every skill.
Mercenary plays like shit imo, I would reroll but I don't find it worth the effort. The EA in general is boring.
Thanks for the guide been following along, its been 3 days would you do anything different in this build?
yeah, ignore his passive skill suggestion. good info besides that.
This is saving my life. I've been doing alright on my own, but need a little guidance for my first poe game.
Rolled early into an orange crossbow with 40% free bolts, literally have an AA12
Asmondgold got that and it pissed me off, I'm loading 3 shots and it's still not enough
what do you mean?
Theirs one I got at the end of act 1 that gives 100% free shot for several seconds after reload.
@@SpottedHares i got that as well.. the only thing i hate is the VERY slow reload time in between
@@Nightcodex I bought the randomized crossbow at a vendor, basically I don't use up a shot so instead of say having ignition round fire one shot before reloading, I shoot between 3-5 extra shots
I'm still wondering if it's more beneficial to go armor and evasion or just armor (with the skill tree node that turns all ur evasion into armor) any ideals on if it's worth looking at or just keep dual splitting?
Yeah I stumbled across this build when I experimented with skills and heralds. It has almost made the game too easy, no mob is ever a problem.
And for bosses on campain? What skill are u using? Need some help here with galvanic on act 2 :(
I combined this with the hv arrow build, use galv for clear and hv for bossing until higher tier skill gems. So far working for me in act 2
are u on cruel or normal?
Do the two handed damage nodes affect the damage output of galvanic shards?
Think so.
@@Aether_GMiirc xbow and grenade skill stack off weapon damage and since xbow is à two handed weapon yeah it boost its damage . Unless proven otherwise
hey bro! awesome guide :) can u do continuation of it?
Good build indeed but really struggles clearing the act bosses. Might need to work around that.
Out of the three leveling builds for merc which is the strongest?
nades scale the fastest and go into endgame the best -- galvanic is strong, falls off into mid act 2 but theres a newer endgame build around it reqs. a whole respec but super strong, and railgun does a lot of dmg is a boss slayer for sure but struggles a bit to clear the trash early.
How to kill Bosses on act 2 with galvanic? My dps for Bosses are zero :(
@@douglaspaz3712 you shouldn't, unless you're using lightning rod. Shards themselves do miniscule damage. It's the arching lightning that damages. But you'd need more targets for this.
@@ЭрикКартман-ч4ю yes im using, but dps is too low. What skill do you recommend using for bossing on early acts
@@UndeadPoli what is the new build?
Awesome video i might have to try this build out thank you
Any update on this for End Game?
Ice definitely works on Merc but not until you get to glacial bolt. The permafrost skill sucks.
What is your rotation for level 50
aweosme guide. Love your channel.
So would you say this is quicker than the railgun build for leveling?
Tbh can just use galvanic and HVR for leveling. HVR for bosses / rates galv for everything else
talent tree in the one page guide doesn't go for attack speed at the beginning? @DrybearGamers
I went with explosive shot for mass shock spread and shockburst for finishing off bosses/rare.
Really depends on good amount of added flat lightning damage and good crossbow with high +eledmg%
30k dps on shockburst pulse seems nice
Please make end game with this build
So this build focuses more on dexterity?
great builds. i enjoy your videos.
I don’t see conduction, ammo conservation, and innervate anywhere when I try to put this together. Can anyone help? 2:30
Did you click button on bottom left when doing support gems to show non-recommended gems?
Nice build buddy! ill try it!
100% damage builds will always fail end game, just like they did in PoE1.
Kripparian already said that anything less than 5000hp, high armor and high resistances will just get stomped on as you push the maps higher, so you better include some defensive nodes in the build and start stacking strength.
Yeah but something like this will get you through the 40 hour campaign in 10 hours and then give you 30 hours of grinding to get your 5000 hp and high armor lol
It's a levelling build mate.
how do you put the lightning rod skills it doesn't work for me 🤔
you have to switch category it‘s under bow
Cooldown and Reload speed are different things. It won't work exactly this way
Huh? Crossbow Reload Speed will speed up your Crossbow Reload Time which happens a lot with this build
Can I start with this build even though Im at level 17 already? This is my first POE game and currently using merc.
Prolly a dumb question, but I only have "Load Galvanic Shards", how do I fire them after loading?
there will be a skill called crossbow shot which will change it's icon based on the ammo type you're loading
@TheSomnangMao thanks bro!
Loved the grenade merc.
what runes in you crossbow?
Thank you for this
Badass thumbnail picture with the guy
for some reason i am unable to add bow skills into my bar because they are none available any idea why?
You need to equip a bow and it'll be available.
You can do same build on ranger, on ranger you can actually reload on command, its insanely better you dont gotta count your ammo
in merc u can reload too with 1 button
I find Deadeye might be a better ascendancy for this build. Tailwind and Endless Ammunition... Yummy.
i had to make a new character of the merc so hopeflly this will help
Using this build and I’m in the mid 20s and i feel so weak
Make sure you're upgrading your gear and keeping up with elemental resistances + defenses, if your gear is out-of-date you'll feel weak no matter what
Can someone make a video on how to find more uncut support gems? I can’t find any video on it at all. Struggling to find support gems to enhance my skills gems. I’m lvl 23 merc.
If you change the instance of a zone all the monsters reset I think that's really the only way to kind of "farm" gems
Interesting, I seem to be getting a least 2-3 during a run but rarely come across orb currencies. They’ve dropped more since the patch but still quite low chance.
Its just Random my dude. Just keep clearing all the enemies in every area to go
What helps me out is farming bosses specifically. I have 20% loot rarity on my gear but by far the best way to boost the chances is to run in a party since it seems like the party gets more experience and more drops with each person joining
it's random. once you get to maps you'll have a ton more and run out of space unless you have the gems stash lmao
Yeah kinda have the same build but for me with the latest update my galvanic shard is bugged, i shot, i reload and wait for that to be done before firing but nothing i have no clue kinda makes it horrible to play plus with the random pausing that happens here and there, but early access is a bitch still play still fun
youtube.com/@DrybearGamers Don't forget to add your Gavanic Mercenary video to your Mobalytics page! (I just found you tonight, and I like your style. Keep it up!)
I am currently playing kinda the build you want wo build, but in ealy game. I am in normal act 3. I use Galvanic for low HP mobs, but switch to glacial bolt + Fragmental Shot(going for poison). When the enemy can't be freezed anymore i go to High velocity with bleed for single target. I don't believe Going for lightning damage is worth it once you plan to switch to other elements. That being said, i feel incredibly week right now. Might be a bad weapon but its rough at the moment. I was hoping for cast on freeze and cast on shock to give me a necessary boost, but that got nerfed. Might do it anyway though.
just lightning feels too weak. its not enough dmg for act 2. imo this is a bad build
@inHell-rb Nope, that build worked for me until end of act 3. Sadly there is a heavy reliance on the weapon. if it sucks, you suck. Its just that easy with that build
@@cobtyrannon2479 nvm. the build sucks and if u think its a good build you suck too^^
Did they remove shooting using the left mouse button? I had to stop playing for 3 days, and now that doesn't seem to be working. Also, how do you run backwards while shooting?
Wasd for move and Maus to fire😂
use wasd movement, this class wasn't designed with click to move
I assumed that weapon swap speed was specifically for the weapon swap key (eg. bow to crossbow) not for bolt swapping. Does weapon swap speed decrease the time it takes to swap between bolts?
In the endgame example I gave you would be running two crossbows and swapping between them, so weapon swap speed would help there. What's neat is you can have different bolts loaded into different crossbows and they will maintain whatever ammunition you loaded last even after swapping.
@@DrybearGamersah missed that, but nice tech - thanks!
1rst boss of act 2 in caravan my build with galvaic proves to be inneffective i deal legit no dmg to him ?
He has incredibly high lightning resist. If you dont have the ability to rip his resist away you're gonna have a bad time.
I hope you read this because it's important... and a bit funny.
There is an episode of the anime Mashle: Magic and Muscles, where one of the students is doing a cooking class to make a soup, I think. And then Mashle does the exact same thing Except he makes a cremepuff. And then it's performed again step-by-step but Mashle again makes a creampuff. I've seen other videos of people with some guide to level this "class" in this "way" and you will be OP and have fun... Their videos don't work for me because I keep getting a cremepuff and not the OP character that they are advertising... With your video, and a few lucky drops, I actually feel the real power on a new character as I'm working my way through act 1. This is the OP, broken experience I've been wanting and it's thanks to this video. Thank You
Question for stats in armor and skill tree: Am I ALWAYS investing in Dexterity... and do I want to focus more on armor, evasion, or shield?
ok youtube the ads are getting stupid long not even worth watching anymore...
Get yourself the Brave browser
you can pay for you YT to stop the ads
@@Redridge07 or you can just install adblock lol
@@neogazpl6164 does that work on yt?
YT premium is a game changer. Haven’t watched an ad in months. Well worth it if you watch a lot of TH-cam. I even just listen to stuff with my phone screen off.
Im still blasting through in end game lvl 71 electro minigun melter lmao
electro minigun? how? I need that lmao
Kinda the build I've started with
Currently getting my ass handed to me by act 2 end boss w/ this build. Pretty frustrated...
The problem with galv mercs is that they play like a bad ranger.
What counts as immobilized? GGG devs are wierd. Conditions cause damage and non-damaging conditions are ailments. They don't know what stuff is called, they exist in their own microcosm.
Check shop regularly I got a crossbow with 101% physical damage 2k gold
All it did was bricked my merc build.
No please don't make them nerf my galvanic 😢😂
I hear you, i been having fun going the lightning route so i really hope it doesnt happen smh 🤦♂️
@@maverickg233are you using more of dexterity for points?
Don't worry I doubt they will.nerf it its only good early game and it's drop-off is super harsh in the endgame
How do u get the skill ?
Wouldn't mind swapping elements if it didn't feel like absolute shit to reload etc. Game feel is horrible.
for anyone new, this is not a very good build. it will get you through act 1, and using the bow to lvl 15 is not a bad idea at all. after act 1 though youll be in a bad spot. the problem is most of galvanic shards damage is physical and it just wont be doing any damage. the main problem is the passive skill tree he suggests. just a heads up boys.
Any alternatives then?
@@CardinalCake go straight for the two handed weapon damage that looks like a cross. get a good physical damage or ele damage crossbow and by the time you get to 15 just hold down galvanic shards and they explode, and if you want drop some lightening rods for bosses.
@@CardinalCake lightening witch hunter on mobalytics. something like that
this build is really bad in act 2.
Make sure you keep your Crossbow & Bow updated and be sure to have Lightning Rods down on the ground
It really is garbage. I went from grenades to this crap, guess I gotta go back...
@@DrybearGamers I did. I have two decent weapons for my level but i'm just stuck in Act2. The first encounter with Jamanra was so hard. The fight takes over 6min with limited Flask charges, there is almost no room for errors which is okay but when the fight takes sooo long its really hard. So many times I can't use Rod or reload because i have to dodge constantly and my dmg is really really low (200-600 dmg per combo).
Maybe I'm doing something wrong but i don't know what because its really simple: Rods + Galvanic Shots.
Thanks for the reply tho, i appreciate it.
melee sucks in this game not fun at all i might try this
This build sucks so bad at Geonor, smh
Make sure your Skill Gems are updated, you have Elemental Damage on your Crossbow, your Bow is up to date, and you have the right Skill Tree & Support Gems
@@DrybearGamers I figure thats maybe it's because I'm playing on controller so that i can't purposely put the lightning rod at optimal spots, make the DPS drastically plump to the ground.
Thanks for the advice
@@xaphongthom6224 how did it go? i beat dog face by myself with a lightning build and 6% cold resistance first try.
@@NWOslave its fine, the dps is too low because the boss keep moving around so i have to dodge basically everything the boss throw at me when the flask is all gone.
10 minutes boss fight, would not do it again
the amount of sweaty try hard in this build is staggering.. get a life.
bro just making shitty build's for act's KEKW